KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 — Malaysia will host a roundtable meeting on online service licensing among Asean member countries in January next year.
The Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa said the decision was made during the 21st Asean Senior Officials Meeting Responsible For Information (21st Somri), which took place in Ha Long, Vietnam, on Wednesday.
This follows a presentation by the ministry, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), of a paper titled “Proposal to Hold a Roundtable Meeting to Explore Perspectives on Licensing Online Services Operating on Social Media Platforms and Messaging Apps within Asean Member States”.
“Asean member countries have unanimously agreed and welcomed the MCMC's proposal to hold a roundtable meeting in Kuala Lumpur in January 2025," he said in a post on his personal Facebook page.
“The roundtable meeting will provide a platform to share perspectives, experiences, and challenges related to the licensing of online services among Asean member states," said Mohamad Fauzi.
He noted that the outcomes of the roundtable meeting would be included in the Asean Social Media Guidelines, which have been proposed by Malaysia to enhance online regulation and governance.
Meanwhile, Fauzi said during the 21st Somri meeting, he shared Malaysia's efforts to transform the media in line with Asean’s Amri Vision 2035 and the Da Nang Declaration.
"The main goals outlined by Malaysia are to promote technology for media transformation and accessibility, combat fake information, enhance media resilience, and ensure inclusivity for all communities." he added.
Fauzi said Malaysia also emphasised future directions, such as collaborating with Asean dialogue partners to create diverse content, strengthening social media regulations to ensure transparency, and enhancing the capacity of broadcasters to showcase Asean’s cultural diversity.
"I am confident that with collaborative efforts, we can collectively create a more inclusive Asean,” he said.
— Bernama
